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Top 10 Gifts for Sushi Lovers

Chances are, you have a sushi lover in your life (or you are that person and will be forwarding this list to someone “by accident”). Whatever it may be, here are 10 fun and unexpected gifts that are sure to be a hit this season – from drool-worthy stocking stuffers to big ticket items…with, of course, a little side of uni.

Plenty of people love to eat sushi, but how many people have the culinary know-how to make it from scratch? In reality, you’ll be ready to roll (literally) as long as you have the basic tools at your disposal. This kit is as simple as they come, complete with a rice paddle, bamboo mat, and instruction booklet. Fun Tip: Gift it together with a tray of fresh uni as a mouthwatering first experiment. Order a set here [$8.95].

Okay so this one has no direct connection to sushi, but I find that those who love it also tend to have an insatiable appetite for travel and adventure. None more so than Mr. Momofuku and fellow uni lover himself David Chang, who also happens to have started the world’s greatest magazine Lucky Peach and its namesake blog. Issue #7 is The TRAVEL Issue, which I first stumbled across during a trip to Argentina last year on the bookshelf of a cute little wine bar in the heart of Palermo Soho in Buenos Aires. Every article is a delectable read, but especially the travel essay penned by Anthony Bourdain and the ode to the oyster towards the end. Get it or subscribe here [$12].

Fun and cheeky, this minimalistic art print is fabulous and would look especially great in any “secondary” room – aka a kitchen, bathroom, home office, etc. Note that it doesn’t come with a frame, so adding one prior to gifting would undoubtedly give it an extra classy touch. Plus, there are a number of other matching food prints from the designer that are equally witty (i.e. “Make Tacos, Not War”) so you may even consider scooping up an entire matching set. Order a print here [$12].

OMG. If the sushi lover in your life is a new parent, how can you resist this ridiculously adorable wrap and hat? Yes, a little extreme and costume-y but just think of the Instagram potential. Sushi cuteness overload. Snag one here [$48]. #ricetomeetyou #soyawesome #ilikethewayyouroll

This solid granite serving platter stands out with its chic versatility and is perfect for the host/hostess with the mostest. It’ll naturally keep everything chill from sushi to cheese to other small hors d’oeuvres. Each one is recycled and individually handmade, and therefore, entirely unique. Grab yours here [$68].

So I get maybe 75% of my clothing from ASOS.com (hi ASOS I love you) and therefore would be totally remiss not to give them a shout-out here. When you can’t survive without your phone and sushi is your everything, why not combine both into one kick-ass case? Try not to drop an entire paycheck while you browse around here [$14.50].

‘Tis the season after all, and no Christmas tree is complete without an ornament that is reminiscent of raw salmon and dried seaweed – YUM. Urban Outfitters has a hysterical collection of food-related ornaments, from pizza to donuts to “glitter bacon” to, of course, sushi. I’m seriously considering buying an entire set for myself…beat me to it here [$10].

Even as a non-Trekkie, this Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise sushi set is hands down the coolest I’ve ever seen. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, eat your heart out. Triple dog dare you to try to resist picking one up here [$34.99]

I use OpenTable.com to make at least one restaurant reservation a week, and only just learned that it apparently offers online gift cards for participating restaurants. And considering a truly spectacular sushi dinner is never cheap, any fan would be overjoyed to receive a fully comped meal. The sushi restaurant selection for which you can send a gift card is somewhat limited, but there are a few gems in there – from EN Japanese Brasserie and 15 East in New York to Sunda in Chicago to ICHI Sushi + NI Bar in San Francisco. Send one here [recommended starting amount of $150 and up].

1. Sushi Dinner for Two

A fraction of the mouth-watering courses from an omakase dinner at Shuko earlier this year.

End of the day, if you have a sushi lover in your life that you care about enough to gift this holiday season, then I can only assume you know them well enough to spend some quality time over a dinner for two. Pick a nice restaurant, make sure to request two seats at the sushi bar, and go with the omakase tasting to leave fate in the hands of the sushi chef for the night. Need help selecting a place? Let me know your city in the comments section and I’m happy to recommend! [Dinner for two likely starting at $150 and up.]